Plans to allow victims of domestic violence to take out thousands of dollars from their superannuation has been met with mixed reactions from Wagga's support service workers.
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The measures would allow up to $10,000 to be taken from superannuation accounts to aid anyone fleeing their abuser.
It's something that was flagged by former Women's Minister Kelly O'Dwyer in 2018, and in the coming weeks, the plan is expected to be enacted.
But Wagga Women's Health Centre health promotion officer, Claire Kendall sees "serious concerns around this proposal", given that domestic violence overwhelmingly affects women and children.
"It might seem at a first glance to be a good idea or even an attractive option, but it's so flawed," Ms Kendall said.
"It assumes that women have money in their super or even have a super account at all. We know that about one-in-three women don't and across the board, women have 42 per cent less than men."
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Instead of requiring that victims access emergency funds and "payout of their own pocket" from their super, Ms Kendall is advocating for additional government-funded services to be offered to those in need.
"What this is doing is further financially disadvantaging the already disadvantaged," Ms Kendall said.
"They are already in a precarious situation and this is putting more strain on them."
In Wagga, Ms Kendall said the primary concern for domestic violence victims and support workers is in securing adequate accommodation during a crisis and accessing timely support for both health and finances.
"They need practical help, they need petrol in the car, money for food. We're falling down in this area because we lack the support systems," Ms Kendall said.
Financial counsellor with the Wagga Family Support Service, Phoebe Macgregor believes the program could have merit if enough planning is done into how victims can re-gain the super lost during their emergency.
"There is a need for immediate options so that they're not forgoing their immediate living costs to get away from a dangerous situation," Ms Macgregor said.
"Sometimes, that outweighs keeping their super until they're of-age to access it."
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Over the past year, during the COVID-19 crisis, Ms Macgregor said she had seen a steady increase in people requiring financial counselling in Wagga.
"We're seeing an increase in clients who need financial support, many where their abuser has financial control," Ms Macgregor said.
"Any additional options we can provide to help them get financially free will help."
During the worst of the pandemic in 2020, rules were relaxed to allow people to access amounts of their superannuation. Ms Macgregor said she saw many people taking up that option.
"We had clients that used the super as a safety net to leave [their abuser] last year," she said.
"There were also those in extreme hardship that also used it to help them get out from under debts, and there were also those who used it inappropriately."
Recognising that with any new policy, "there are some negatives sides", Ms Macgregor is advocating for strong rules to be placed around how much super can be accessed, and over what timeframe it will be available to people deemed to be in emergency domestic violence situations.
"It would have to be based on every individual situation. For example, the age of the victim and their ability to work to make back that money is important," she said.
"Sometimes the immediate needs outweigh the future risks, but the future is something that needs to be considered and a strategy should be put in place to plan for the future."
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